Soldering three cables

[thinwater]

I dunno, crimped cinnectiins seem to give lots of issues. They lose grip, rattle apart, corrode etc.

Supported soldered joints seem to be better.

Using cheap, or even good, crimp tools is difficult in the confines of many boat spaces.

Soldered adhesive heat shrink Maybe is the way to go. Especially if you're not likely to have to take it apart again.

Not if properly made. We could rail against poor soldering too.

• Ratchet crimper with the correct dies.
• Adjust to the wire and the brand of crimp fittings used (they vary and the tool is easily adjusted).
• Test pull-out strength when you change fitting brands. Crimp on an eye, clamp it in a vice, and pull. It should be a very hard pull, damaging the wire in the process. In most cases, the wire will break.

I have thrown poor crimpers int he bin to prevent me from using them to make poor crimps. Bin poor tools!

And yes, there can be more than one good answer, as long as it is well-made and supported.

 

[thinwater]

I can't take American electrical standards seriously whilst they continue to use those screw on connectors.

View attachment 194715

a. These are not approved on boats.

b. They are only approved for use inside rated boxes or cabinets with cable strain relief. In fact, they are very reliable if properly used. If there is vibration they are taped to prevent rotation. I've seen them endure horrible conditions in industrial settings. They are actually superior to solder and crimps in some high vibration settings. I would not have believed it if I had not seen the test results. The pullout strength is far better than WAGO.

But all the same, I use them much less than I used to, only in certain specific settings. In fact, WAGO does not meet the wire nut standard. Interesting.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I can't take American electrical standards seriously whilst they continue to use those screw on connectors.

View attachment 194715

These are not allowed on boats in the US.

 

[Cerebus]

These are not allowed on boats in the US.

Those should not be allowed anywhere in my h. o. and I am just an amateur with common sense and some practical experience; horrible things.

 

[jakew009]

The best answer to this question is simply don’t have joints.

Home run every cable from the accessory back to a distribution centre where you have a busbar and fusing.

100x easier to maintain and troubleshoot in the future.

If you have to have joints because home runs aren’t practical (like on a string of down lights), use a larger crimp and parallel the wires behind the fitting.

 

[fredrussell]

I accept that (and defer to) those ‘in the know’ on this thread prefer crimps to soldered joins, but I can’t help thinking that if, as an experiment, you got a length of cable and put a crimp join one end, then a soldered join the other end, and then put the ‘outer’ cable ends under an increasing load, the crimped join would part first. That’s not based on anything other than this amateur’s intuition - just thinking aloud really.

 

[jakew009]

...not based on anything other than this amateur’s intuition

With even a half decent crimp the wire will snap long before the wire pulls out of the crimp.

 

[thinwater]

I accept that (and defer to) those ‘in the know’ on this thread prefer crimps to soldered joins, but I can’t help thinking that if, as an experiment, you got a length of cable and put a crimp join one end, then a soldered join the other end, and then put the ‘outer’ cable ends under an increasing load, the crimped join would part first. That’s not based on anything other than this amateur’s intuition - just thinking aloud really.

Read post 61. The wire broke in both cases.

However, if the wire had been under very high load, running hot, the result would have been different. The structural failure temperature of solder is generally taken to be about 75% of its MP, or about 130C/265F. Hot, but far from impossible. Just a little above heat shrink temps.

Fire is another thing to consider. A tiny fire will melt-off soldered connections, leading to a cascading failure..

 

[st599]

I accept that (and defer to) those ‘in the know’ on this thread prefer crimps to soldered joins, but I can’t help thinking that if, as an experiment, you got a length of cable and put a crimp join one end, then a soldered join the other end, and then put the ‘outer’ cable ends under an increasing load, the crimped join would part first. That’s not based on anything other than this amateur’s intuition - just thinking aloud really.

The reason solder isn't recommended isn't because of the strength of the bond, it's the susceptibility to snapping after an indeterminate amount of vibration or repeated heating and cooling
Solder fatigue - Wikipedia

 

[fredrussell]

The reason solder isn't recommended isn't because of the strength of the bond, it's the susceptibility to snapping after an indeterminate amount of vibration or repeated heating and cooling
Solder fatigue - Wikipedia

Indeed - I do get that. I’m just playing devil’s advocate really. I would be interested to see the result of the test I mentioned in post #66 though, just out of personal curiosity.